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Palm Beach County Courthouse weddings dip: Economy's the culprit (And everyone is blaming the gays for wanting to get married!!)
By C. Ron Allen
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
2:19 PM EDT, May 30, 2009
The marriage business is down at the Palm Beach County Courthouse as an
increasing number of South Floridians are saying "I don't" when it
comes to nuptials there, according to the clerk of courts statistics.
Between Jan. 1 and April 20 last year, the clerk of courts at the main
courthouse in West Palm Beach performed 470 civil wedding ceremonies.
That number dropped to 291 during the same time this year.
"There's really no way for us to know whether the economy has had an
impact on [the drop] in marriage licenses and marriage ceremonies,"
said Julie Rosborough, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Clerk's
office. "We think people may not know that there are low-cost options
out there, and that getting married doesn't have to cost an arm and a
leg."
Those in the marriage industry say that the souring economy is the main culprit in the downturn.
"We see it pretty much nationwide," said Sue Totterdale, of Alva, a
bridal consultant and national president of the National Association of
Wedding Professionals Inc., a trade organization comprised of limo
firms, photographers and caterers and others in the wedding industry.
"They still plan to get married, but they're just postponing it until
they can pay for it." (Unlike Gays who have all that money!!:O)
Totterdale said the decline follows national trends.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the number of married adults has
gone down since the 1970s due to divorce and more people never having
married. Between 1995 and 2005, the marriage rate declined almost 20
percent, according to the Census Bureau. (It must be because gays want to get married!!LOL)
As some local couples plan their big day, they are finding that their
budgets -- whether hundreds of dollars or tens of thousands -- won't
stretch as far. The average wedding, with 100 to 150 guests, can cost
$30,000 to $46,000, Totterdale said.
Of those who are still getting married, many, like Charles Furment,
have opted for less expensive venues, pared down guest lists and even
rented gowns.
"I am more of a down-to-earth type of guy," said Furment, 27, who
married Helena Garcia at the Delray Beach Courthouse recently. "We
don't necessarily believe in the big white wedding.
"The main factor was [that] we are trying to buy a house," he said. "So
instead of utilizing the money on a wedding and going nuts with it, it
made more sense to us to save that money and throw it into a house."
There are advantages to a courthouse ceremony, which takes less than 10 minutes.
For $149.48, a couple can get married, and the price tag can drop
$32.50 if the couple takes a premarital course. Couples also have 60
days after they get their license to use it or it becomes void.
Rosborough said they wanted to make these occasions more special than just reading the legal requirements.
While those getting married at the South County Courthouse in Delray
Beach courthouse recite their vows in a hallway, employees in the main
courthouse converted a small room into an improvised chapel. After
walking down a red carpet in the wedding room, couples recite their
vows under a trellis. Flowers, a hanging mirror, chairs and lamps
create ambience.
The matrimonial room in the North County Courthouse in Palm Beach
Gardens has a tropical theme. And while there are windows overlooking
Quadrille Boulevard, the blinds are usually kept shut for privacy
during the ceremonies, Rosborough said.
But these are not cookie-cutter events. The style and scope of courthouse weddings vary.
"Many couples come dressed in wedding gowns and tuxes -- and bring
along an entire wedding party," Rosborough said. "However, there are
those who show up in flip flops, blue jeans, shorts or basic street
clothing."
C. Ron Allen can be reached at crallen@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6611